Source @thailand_news
The problem, they said, was not shortage of rules. It was shortage of consequences.
o the pier and blocked them from leaving in their pre-arranged vehicle. Police said both sides were technically within their rights which said something about how unclear the rules were.
A similar incident happened again in June 2023, on the same day the government officially confirmed that Bolt was a legally authorised service. Two days later, officials put up a sign at the pier clarifying that no single group had exclusive rights there. The confrontations continued.
The violence has escalated over time. In late 2023, a ride-hailing driver picking up a customer in the Cherng Talay area was dragged from his car and beaten so severely his lung collapsed. In July 2024, another app driver in the same district was attacked and left with a cracked skull. Koh Samui: The Rules Exist. Nobody Uses Them.
On paper, Koh Samui does have fare regulations. The Ministry of Transport sets a starting rate of 40 baht for metered taxis in provinces outside Bangkok, with a per-kilometre rate applied after that. Samui even has an official island surcharge of around 50 baht on top.
In practice, Taxi drivers rarely use meters, citing fuel costs and the island’s road conditions. Instead, the island runs on a flat-rate system prices agreed before you get in, with no official reference point for either side.
A short five-minute ride can cost 300 to 400 baht. A cross-island trip can exceed 1,000 baht. Some tourist spots post price boards showing “standard” flat rates to different destinations, but those rates are typically far higher than what a meter would show.
Ride-hailing apps face the same resistance here as in Phuket. In areas controlled by local taxi networks, Grab and Bolt drivers are discouraged or actively prevented from operating.
The result is a market where regulations exist but go unenforced, and where local networks set the effective price. For tourists, it feels like there are no rules. For the drivers those networks target, the consequences can be far worse than an inflated fare.
The death of Sikharin makes that point without ambiguity. He operated within the system — paid his protection fee, drove his routes. It still was not enough. Pattaya: Controlled From the Pier In Pattaya operates similarly. The cruise terminal near the city technically outside Pattaya proper is controlled by local taxi groups. Private drivers arranged by passengers have been turned away at the entrance because they were not part of the authorised network.
Despite repeated crackdowns, the pattern continues. In a single operation last year, tourism police arrested 49 taxi drivers in one day across Bangkok and Pattaya: 22 for refusing to use meters, 13 for refusing passengers, and others for various violations. Enforcement officers described the situation as a “branding crisis” for Thai tourism.
The problem, they said, was not shortage of rules. It was shortage of consequences.
https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Thaiger-News-Cover-Picture-with-Template-2026-05-28T133858.089-820x461.jpg Photo via Facebook/ Just in time now – ทันเหตุทั่วไทย Why Does This Keep Happening?
No decent public transport, high tourist demand, and weak enforcement.
In cities like Bangkok, competition exists. Metered taxis, the BTS, the MRT, buses, motorbike taxis and ride-hailing apps all compete for the same customer. Competition keeps prices in check.
In Phuket, Samui and Pattaya, most of those alternatives simply do not exist. You need a vehicle. The local group controls the vehicles. That is the entire dynamic.
Ride-hailing apps have started to break that monopoly, which is precisely why local groups treat them as a threat. The violence documented over the past few years the beatings, the blocked cars, the killings is, in part, a response to losing control of that market.
Thailand welcomed over 35 million foreign visitors in 2024. Getting tourists from airports and piers to their hotels is, as one official put it, “the front door to the tourism industry.”
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← Back to newsA similar incident happened again in June 2023, on the same day the government officially confirmed that Bolt was a legally authorised service. Two days later, officials put up a sign at the pier clarifying that no single group had exclusive rights there. The confrontations continued.
The violence has escalated over time. In late 2023, a ride-hailing driver picking up a customer in the Cherng Talay area was dragged from his car and beaten so severely his lung collapsed. In July 2024, another app driver in the same district was attacked and left with a cracked skull. Koh Samui: The Rules Exist. Nobody Uses Them.
On paper, Koh Samui does have fare regulations. The Ministry of Transport sets a starting rate of 40 baht for metered taxis in provinces outside Bangkok, with a per-kilometre rate applied after that. Samui even has an official island surcharge of around 50 baht on top.
In practice, Taxi drivers rarely use meters, citing fuel costs and the island’s road conditions. Instead, the island runs on a flat-rate system prices agreed before you get in, with no official reference point for either side.
A short five-minute ride can cost 300 to 400 baht. A cross-island trip can exceed 1,000 baht. Some tourist spots post price boards showing “standard” flat rates to different destinations, but those rates are typically far higher than what a meter would show.
Ride-hailing apps face the same resistance here as in Phuket. In areas controlled by local taxi networks, Grab and Bolt drivers are discouraged or actively prevented from operating.
The result is a market where regulations exist but go unenforced, and where local networks set the effective price. For tourists, it feels like there are no rules. For the drivers those networks target, the consequences can be far worse than an inflated fare.
The death of Sikharin makes that point without ambiguity. He operated within the system — paid his protection fee, drove his routes. It still was not enough. Pattaya: Controlled From the Pier In Pattaya operates similarly. The cruise terminal near the city technically outside Pattaya proper is controlled by local taxi groups. Private drivers arranged by passengers have been turned away at the entrance because they were not part of the authorised network.
Despite repeated crackdowns, the pattern continues. In a single operation last year, tourism police arrested 49 taxi drivers in one day across Bangkok and Pattaya: 22 for refusing to use meters, 13 for refusing passengers, and others for various violations. Enforcement officers described the situation as a “branding crisis” for Thai tourism.
The problem, they said, was not shortage of rules. It was shortage of consequences.
https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Thaiger-News-Cover-Picture-with-Template-2026-05-28T133858.089-820x461.jpg Photo via Facebook/ Just in time now – ทันเหตุทั่วไทย Why Does This Keep Happening?
No decent public transport, high tourist demand, and weak enforcement.
In cities like Bangkok, competition exists. Metered taxis, the BTS, the MRT, buses, motorbike taxis and ride-hailing apps all compete for the same customer. Competition keeps prices in check.
In Phuket, Samui and Pattaya, most of those alternatives simply do not exist. You need a vehicle. The local group controls the vehicles. That is the entire dynamic.
Ride-hailing apps have started to break that monopoly, which is precisely why local groups treat them as a threat. The violence documented over the past few years the beatings, the blocked cars, the killings is, in part, a response to losing control of that market.
Thailand welcomed over 35 million foreign visitors in 2024. Getting tourists from airports and piers to their hotels is, as one official put it, “the front door to the tourism industry.”
[...]